RETURN TO KHAIRPUR
Thy greens grow pearls, thy sunsets roses fair;
My wandering heart returned to stay with thee,
In shades of eve, to breathe thy cooler air,
That brings refreshment, promised long to me.
I love thy water-wheels, that sing to sleep
The playful twilight, Autumn’s moody child,
The flames that from thy fields and pinfolds leap
Like lights that lead the hearts by Pan beguiled.
I love thy country maids with water-jars
Whose graceful coveys rural charms enhance.
I love thy palms that gaze at distant stars,
And upward draw the earth-encumbered glance.
I love thy lake with silver trailing flowers,
Whose wavelets fondly hold the starry skies;
The moon, entranced by calm of midnight hours,
In violet bed on lily-petals lies.
No more the eyes of homesick longings pine
To watch the sphere remote where stars abound,
But, like thy lake that holds its love divine,
My heart within hath longed-for heaven found.
Elsa Kazi.
INDIA—ENTERTAINING TWILIGHT
To India’s comely cottage Twilight hied:
“Salam, my lass!” resplendent Twilight cried:
“A sumptuous fare prepare! ... since noon I tried
To come this way ... but ah! the glowing day did stay
With thee!... Fresh milk and fried chapatis bring;
Do not forget thy hubble-bubble, dear,
For lots of dreamy cheer!
From out thy hair the withered lily fling;
Don fine array, with pearls thy tresses lay, and play
Thy vīnā, dance and sing!
One stolen hour is mine; that little while
With haunting notes of suri-raag beguile ...
And let me see thy flaming eyes, as thunder skies
So deep and dark, with mystic lightnings bright;
With ‘Duhals’ wake what slumbering lies, the past let rise
All yesterdays to pageant gay, invite ...
Be swift, my sweet!
The meat and chutney let us eat ...
The hour, my sweet,
Is fleet; from night I must retreat!
Already muezzin’s mellow call resounds in mango grove;
And temple bells, that wake the gods, the hearts to worship move;
Come hither, dear!... The moments flee!
Salam, my love,
Salam!”
And India, sun-burnt India, sweetly blushed;
“Salam! I’ll hasten!” answered she; and brushed
From off her braid the faded lily—crushed
By day’s embrace; she sped, with joy, her face a-blaze,
To milk the goats, to fry the cakes in ghee;
Cabob, pullau, the dates and honey brought
And hubble-bubble sought
With smiles of Sindian hospitality.
With peri-grace she soared about the place, to trace
Each thing that added glee
To Twilight’s hour ... a rich repast she spread
Before her guest, who sliced the mangoes red
’Neath palms, beside the well and stream ... his eyes a-gleam
With dusk, he watched where night in forests hid
And vexed with prying silver beam his crimson dream,
While India, humming low, her braids undid.
With rustling sound
Unbound, her tresses sought the ground;
With silvery sound
She wound her pearls in orient found ...
Her silk-apparel jasmin-decked, kissed rugs of golden cloth;
With henna’d hands she swirled her veil, as frail as wings of moth;
Her vīnā struck, with bended knee:
“Salam,” she quoth:
“Salam!”
She shot as lightning up ... then paused and smiled;
Then round she spun in trance, as dervish wild;
In rainbow hue she flew, with flowers piled;
A flame a-whirl, with passion red, each curl a-twirl,
As Indra’s temple-dancer, maddening hearts
Her lips with kisses scarlet!—Eyes aglow
Now moved she sly and slow
As Punjab tigress ere for prey she starts ...
Then did unfurl a smock as white as pearl ... a girl
Of pious Southern parts
She turned, gazellean-soft and meek her glance,
The rosary and censer graced her dance;
A fragrant bud of womanhood, divinely good;
But soon her measure ceased ... with rhythmic thrill
In Delhi’s wealth arrayed she stood, in soaring mood
Then danced again, to show her perfect skill!
With flourish bold
And gold a-flash, now anklets told,
Her footsteps bold
Controlled a battle march of old!
She forward dashed as amazon of Rajput’s desert side,
Her eyes with valour all a-flame, so proudly did she stride:
“Wah! Wah!” so Twilight cheered ... and she:
“Salam,” replied:
“Salam!”
Her Jadoo-veil now changed the scene ... and lo!
In clouds she danced thro’ Kashmeer’s mountainsnow,
Thro’ jungle glooms and tombs of gold below;
By Ganges led, where orchards blossoms shed, she sped
’Mid Koels as Gopi, or as Rama’s queen ...
With shimmering ivory limbs, and rubied brow
As Moghul princess now
She sat ’mid slaves on throne of Jasper sheen.
Now made her bed on elephant’s broad head, and fled
As Jin thro’ plantains green.
Then rose as butterfly from out her shawl
All poised o’er lucid lakes of Taj Mahal.—
The hour had slipped, and night at last approached so fast;
And Twilight donned his turban, chilled with fright ...
The hookah-stick, he dropped aghast, and India cast
Her jewelled slipper at her guardian Night
Who gently sailed,
And trailed the stars ... but Twilight quailed
And westward sailed!
All veiled in mists he drooped and paled!
Her lacquered cradle India spread for moonlit night to rest,
Namaskar made with folded hands! ... half serious, half a-jest,
She fibbered: “Twilight hit at thee ...
Salam, my best
Salam!”
Elsa Kazi.